Special Guest at Pacers Reading Timeout

January 30, 2013

Over 60 times a year, Pacers Community Relations Director Kelli Towles packs up the Pacers FAN VAN and heads out to a school somewhere in Central Indiana. Usually with her are colleagues Richie Smith and Pacers ABA Legend Darnell “Dr. Dunk” Hillman. Oh yeah, and Pacers mascot Boomer!

Kelli and her troops visit schools to promote reading among children ages kindergarten to third grade. They do this through a wonderful promotion called PACERS READING TIMEOUT.

Each timeout features celebrity readers who take the time to show children how important it is to read. And how much fun it can be to read. After the reading session Boomer takes over and prizes are given away. "The kids just love Boomer," said Towles who has run the program for 12 years. "We learned through experience that we need to put Boomer at the end of the show because the kids just lose it after they see him."
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On Tuesday, Jan., 29 the Pacers Reading Timeout made a stop at IPS School #55 on East 54th Street. Among the celebrity readers was new Congresswoman Susan Brooks. It was one of the first civic duties in Indiana for the new representative who assumed office just 26 days before!

"This is so great to be here," said the former US Attorney for the US District Court for Southern Indiana. "To work with the Pacers to help in this educational initiative is awesome." Brooks added that she was on the initial board of the Indiana Fever and is proud of the WNBA championship claimed this past summer by the team. "Kelly Krauskopf (Fever GM) has been working so hard to get that championship and I am so proud of her. In Washington, D.C., I love to represent the state’s 5th congressional district and along with that I love to represent the Pacers and the Fever."